Tractor mower assembly



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J.M.CUSTENBORDER TRACTOR MOWER ASSEMBLY Filed Aug. 16, 1941 4 Sheets-Shaet 4 PatenteciJuly 20, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE" 1 l q v 1 2,324,563

TRACTOR MOWER ASSEMBLY John M. Custenborder, Peoria, Ill.. Application August 16, 1941, Serial No. 407,152

6 Claims. (l. 56-25) This invention relates to mowing machines e m,

ploying reciprocating cutter bars, and particularly to a mowing apparatus adapted to be mounted on a conventional farm tractor.

Although my mower may be used on ordinary farm mowing jobs, it is particularly designed to handle a wide variety of diflicult mowing operations met with in mowing public highways, parks, golf courses, embankments, levies, etc. Conditions found in this type of work require a wide standing severe service without the necessity for frequent adjustments and repairs.

It is the particular object. of this invention to provide a mowing machine which may be .mounted on a conventional farm. tractor and which embodies all the desirable characteristics above described.

Other objects and benefits will be disclosed in the following descriptions and drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a rear angular perspective view showing my mower mounted on a farm tractor with cutter bar as shown in Fig. 7, as it would appear on the section line 8-4 of Fig. 7.

Now referring to the drawings, and, at the the support tube III is a slidable tube I having and a pulley bracket 26. A cable 21 is fixed to certain parts of the tractor removed or brokenaway to better disclose the mower details;

Fig. 2 is a forward angular perspective view similar to Fig, 1, showing thevarious adjustments of the cutter bar in dotted outline;

Fig. 3is a front elevational view oi-the drivin head and supporting frame showing how the cut-' ter bar may be tilted by the hand lever adjust-' ment, as is required under certain difilcult cutting conditions;

of the driving head, showing the reciprocating ap paratus for driving thesickle bars;

- =L=tFig.6 is a cross-sectional plan view of my con- ..trol valve with the pumpfand cylindr'connections shown diagrammatically, as will later be explained;

Fig. 7 'is abroken plan view of my twin sickle cutter bar and Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the same a bottom support casting ll carrying a pulley bracket It. On the top of the tube 14 is a cap member I! pivotally supporting a cylinder cap l8 attached to the cylinder 19. This cylinder I9 is a conventionalpiston type cylinder having a piston rod 20 carrying a cable clamp 2| and a cable 22. 'On the opposite side of the support tube i0 and attached to the support angle iron II i a piston type cylinder 24 having a piston rod 25 the support member I! and running over the pulley in the bracket 26 is attached at its other end to the support casting l5.

It will be obvious from this arrangement that when the cylinder 24 actuates th pulley bracket 28 upward, the support tube It and the entire mower mechanism are vertically lifted, as shown in Fig. 2. Similarly, it will be understood that when the cylinder l9 pulls the cable 22 upward the mower bar is tilted angularly upward. as shown in Fig. 2, by a mechanism which will later bedescribed. Pivotally mounted in the lower support casting I5 is a support bracket 28 'and pivotally attached to the bracket 28 is -a lever bracket 29 carrying a conventional adJustment lever 30 coacting with a rack bracket ll supported by the support member, l5. This arrangement provides means to pivot the support plate 28 in the support bracket l5, whereupon the attached cutter bar maybe tilted downwardly or upwardly to present the twin sickle bar to the vegetation at the most eflective angle, as clearly showninFig.3. i y

Pivotally supported on the plate 2! by a pivot bolt II is a cutter head bracket l2. The cutter head bracket 32 is prevented frompivoting on the bolt 33 normally by a brake pin 24 arranged to shear under dangerous stresses. By this ar rangement, when the cutter bar meets anobstruction, damage is averted by shearing of the head bracket 3-2 by means of the side brackets 33 and 31 and the shoulder bolt 38'. Bolted to the bottom of the cutter head bracket 32 is thecutter bar head 33 supporting a conventional cutter bar 39. .By this arrangement it-will be understood that the cutter bar 39 is pivotally attached to the cutter head bracket 32 and that the entire cutter mechanism may be pivoted angularly upward by the cylinder l9 and the cable 22 attached to the lifting cam 40 which is mounted on the bracket 31 which encloses the ball of the tube 44 by the retainer ring 46 and through bolts, as shown. The thrust tube 44 has another ball joint 41 on its rear end locked in the socket of a universal housing 49 by means of a retainer ring 48, and the entire structure is supported on the rear axle boss 50 by through bolts Ii which also attach a channel bar 52 which extends across the rear axle and is bolted to the other side in a conventional manner. The universal housing 49 supports a transmission shaft (not shown) which is driven by a conventional chain drive 53 from the conventional power take-oil. shaft 54 (not shown). The transmission shaft driven by the chain drive 53 is connected in a conventional manner to the crank 55 in the housing 35, it being understood that universal joints are enclosed within the ball joints in order to provide for the adjustments of the cutter bar, as previously described. This type of transmission is well known in the art and no further detailed description is deemed necessary.

It will be appreciated that whereas the entire mower mechanism is vertically supported by the support tube 30-l4' and companion cylinders I9 and 24 with their associated mechanisms, this support structure is ill adapted-to receive any backward thrust from the mower bar. This backward thrust is taken care of entirely by the thrust tube 44 and transmitted to the rear axle of the tractor by the mechanism, as described.

Again referring to Fig. 1, it will be noted that I mount a conventional type of pressure pump 64 adjacent the front end of the tractor motor and drive it from the belt pulley transmission located at this point. The electric generator which is usually mounted in this position is moved outwardly and mounted as shown.

Now referring to Figs. 7 and 8, I show a conventional cutter bar 39 on which twin sickle bars 4i and 42 are mounted byuslide clips 43 and 43' and through bolts 39'. The general structure of cutter bars of this nature is well understood in the art and it is believed that a further detailed description will not be required.

Now referring to Figs. 4 and 5, it will be noted that the double-throw crank 55 has one wrist pin ofiset by 20, as clearly shown in Fig. 5. This is to prevent the on-center position of the cranks at the extreme end of the throw. The cranks are connected by connecting rods 53 attached to swing linkslil and drive links 53 to the sickle piston rod 6| by means of the connecting brackets 59 and through pins 90. The sickle piston rods 6| have ball ends 62 which are attached to the sickle bars by means of socket joints 63, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. This mechanism transmits the rotary motion of the crank 55 to reciprocating motion of the sickle pistons 6|, thereby reciprocating the sickle bars 4| and 42 in opposite directions to eiTect scissor-like cutting strokes to the sickle bars.

Now referring to Fig. 6, I show somewhat diagrammatically my control valve and oil reservoir. The pump 64 has an intake pipe from the reservoir 61 and pumps the oil through the tube 96 and the port '18 whereby, bymeans of the reduced diameter valve rods Ila, the fluid is returned to the reservoir by means, of the port 19 and the return tube 19. Therefore, in this position of the control valve the pump 64 is merely idling its flow of oil back to the reservoir. The valve body 33 encloses three valve rods, namely, 69, II and 13. These valve rods are actuated by a pair of handles attached to pins 19 and 14. When the rod 99 is pulled outwardly so that the ,port 14 is uncovered, the projection 93' on the rod 69 abuts the shoulder 1] or the pin II and, pulling it against the compression spring 12, opens the manifold port 15 by connecting the port 68 with the manifold 15. The oil thereby flows from the port 18 through the manifold I! and into the port 14 through the tube 14' to raise the piston in the cylinder I 9. By-pulling the valve rod 69 further outwardly so that the ports 14 and T5 are uncovered, the oil returns from the cylinder l9 through the tube 14' and back to thereservoir 61 through the ports 14-15 to the tube 15'. It will be noted that when the rod 69 is thus pulled outwardly it is necessary to free the pump 64 and this is'done by the valve 1 I9 and i9.

opening 'llb uncovering the ports Similarly, when it is desired to actuate the piston 25, the rod 14 is pulled outwardly, which uncovers the port 16 and permits oil to flow to the cylinder through the tube 16'. When the cylinder 24 is to be released the rod 13 is pulled further outwardly, uncovering the ports 16 and TI to return the oil to the reservoir through the return tube 11'. By this combination of three valve rods I have provided a fool-proof control by means of two handles whereby any operation of the cylinders l9 and 24 may be quickly and promptly accomplished.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a mowing machine, a sickle bar driving head, a cutter bar carrying said sickle bar mounted on said driving head, dual pivoted supporting means for said head to permit both vertical and horizontal pivoting of the driving head and bar, vertically slidable support means for said pivotal support means, said cutter bar being operable while being adjusted and in all its adjusted positions and a jointed thrust member attached to the head to resist horizontal movement of the head and bar in all positions of the bar.

2. In a mowing machine, a sickle bar driving head, a cutter bar carrying said sickle bar mounted on said driving head, dual pivoted supporting means for said head to permit both vertical and horizontal pivoting of the driving head and bar, vertically slidable support means for said pivotal support means, said cutter bar being operable while being adjusted and in all its adjusted positions. a jointed thrust member attached to the head to resist horizontal movement of the head and bar in all positions of the bar, and a driveishaft to the drive head housed in the thrust member arranged to avoid all thrust loads from the driving head.

3. In a mowing machine, a sickle bar driving head, a cutter bar carrying said sickle bar mounted on said driving head, triple pivot supporting means for said head to permit vertical, horizontal and radial pivoting of the driving head bar, vertically slidable support means for said pivotal support means, said cutter bar being justed positions, a jointed thrust member attached to the head to' resist horizontal movement of the head and bar in all positions ofthe bar, and a drive shaft-to the drive head housed in the thrust member arranged to avoid all thrust loads fromthe driving head.

4. In a mowing machine, a sickle bar driving head, a cutter bar carrying said' sickle bar mounted on said driving head, dual pivoted supporting means for said head to permit both vertical and horizontal pivoting of the driving head ancl bar, vertically slidable support means for "said pivotal support means, said cutter bar being, operable while being adjusted and in all its adjusted positions, dual hydraulic cylinder means for actuating said horizontal and vertical supporting means, -a jointed thrust member attached to the head to resist horizontal movement of the head and bar in all positions of the bar, and a drive shaft in the drive head housed in the thrust member.

means for actuating the cylinders, an interconnected valve for controlling the pump to permit flow of liquid to either of the dual cyl- V 2,324,568 operable while being adjusted and in all its adinders or return the pump flow to the reservoir while preventing stoppage of the pump flow, a jointed thrust member attached to the head to resist horizontal movement of the head and bar in all positions of the bar, and a drive shaft to the drive head housed in the thrust member.

6. In a tractor mower having a clutch control power take-off, clutch control power transmis sion to the wheels and a fan belt transmission from the front end of the motor to the pump, the combination inia mower attachment, having a sickle bar driving head, a cutter bar carrying said sickle bar mounted on said driving head and dual pivoted supporting means for said head to permit both vertical and horizontal pivoting of the driving head and bar, vertically slidable support means for said pivotal support means attached to said tractor, said cutter bar being operable while being adjusted and in all its adjusted positions, a 'jointed thrust member at-' 'tached to the head and the rear axle of the tractor to resist horizontal movement of the head and bar in all positions of the bar, a drive shaft tofthe drive head housed in the. thrust member and driven by the power take-off, dual hydraulic cylinder means for actuating said horizontal and vertical supporting means for horizontal and angular adjustment of the cutter bar, and hydraulic pump means for actuating the cylinders driven from the front end of the motor whereby the cutter bar may be adjusted by power from the motor to any horizontal or vertical position whether the tractor or the cutter bar is in motion or stationary.

JOHN CUSTENBORDER. 

